Late Paleocene to Early Eocene marine vertebrates from the Uppermost ArumaFormation (northern Saudi Arabia): implications for the K-T transition

A new assemblage of marine vertebrates from northern Saudi Arabia, east of the Nafud, leads us to reconsider the age of the top unit of the Aruma Form ation, the Line Member, hitherto referred to the Maastrichtian. This assemb lage contains the remains of a dozen selachian and actinopterygian fishes, as well as those of a giant sea turtle representing a new dermochelyid taxo n. It suggests a Late Paleocene to Early Eocene age for this unit. This new dating and a revision of the stratigraphic position of the Lina Member dem onstrate the existence, on a regional scale, of an important hiatus at the K-T boundary. ((C) 1999 Academie des sciences / Editions scientifiques et m edicales Elsevier SAS.).